Antivirus tests that assess the effectiveness of security products from the moment users visit infected websites have exposed widely differing performances among the various anti-malware products.
The unsponsored tests by Dennis Technology Labs, which were run over a three-month period, revealed that the efficacy of paid-for …

Increased standardisation across mobile devices will make it easier for miscreants to write malicious code, a Gartner analyst has warned - but the familiar prediction overlooks a bigger threat.
The warning makes for a repeat of a long-standing anti-virus industry prediction that has yet to come to fruition. Meanwhile, the …

Security researchers have discovered one of the most subtle and sophisticated examples of Windows rootkit software known to date.
The AutoRun-NOX worm extends the standard VXer trick of using software vulnerabilities to infect systems, by including functionality that allows the worm to exploit Windows security bugs to hook …

Domain name system problems left some users of Sophos unable to get security updates on Friday. The same issue, blamed on a mistake by one of the security firm's service providers rather than hostile action, left many surfers unable to access its main sophos.com website.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, …

AVG has published an engine upgrade to its popular anti-virus scanning software that addresses a raft of stability bugs.
The update, published Tuesday, addresses a bug that means the scanner is liable to crash when scanning malformed UPX compressed executable files. More significantly version 8.0.156 of the software fixes …

Cybercrooks have released a custom-built Trojan, dubbed Limbo 2, "guaranteed" by its shady creators to continually evade the top ten anti-virus products on the market.
The Limbo 2 Trojan is touted as being able to bypass products from Symantec, McAfee, AVG and others to steal login credentials from online banking sessions. …

Microsoft warns that an unpatched Word vulnerability has become the subject of targeted attacks.
The flaw - which is restricted to Microsoft Office Word 2002 Service Pack 3 - creates a mechanism for hackers to inject hostile code onto vulnerable systems. Redmond has published workarounds as a stop-gap measure while its …

Microsoft has tied up with ailing US retailer Circuit City to launch its Office and security subscription service which hits the market bearing the moniker "Equipt".
The software giant said that it has handed Circuit City the new product line, with plans for the retail chain to start punting Equipt from mid-July. It will carry …

The United Kingdom is the most popular destination for 419 scams - emails which promise huge riches in exchange for up-front arrangement fees.
A worldwide survey of spam found 23 per cent of all Nigerian 419 scams were sent to British surfers. The UK also scored highly for adult spam - coming second, just behind the US.
The …

Microsoft has launched a private beta test of a subscription version of its Office and security software.
Dubbed Albany the package includes Office Live and OneCare - Microsoft's bundle of security and anti-virus products. It is aimed at consumers rather than businesses - Microsoft is already trialling similar offerings for …

UK security software developer Sophos has apologised for drafting in its lawyers after a member of a forum for IT technicians in schools posted a foul-mouth rant criticising recent changes in its anti-virus technology.
One of the members of EduGeek, the largest site for ICT technicians in schools, with over 2,000 members, …

Spyware for Symbian version 9 is now available signed and verified through the Symbian Signed process, according to anti-malware specialist F-Secure.
Though such applications track what the user is doing and automatically upload that information to a remote server, at least one application is carrying a Symbian Signed …

Malware miscreants have crafted a cross-platform worm targeted at OpenOffice users that's capable of infecting Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
The OpenOffice/StarBasic macro worm, dubbed BadBunny, is a proof-of-concept worm that's not been seen outside the lab. Most anti-virus firms describe it as a low-risk threat. …

Miscreants have created a strain of malware which uses memory sticks as a vector for infection.
The SillyFD-AA worm spreads by copying itself from infected machines onto removable drives such as USB memory sticks before automatically running when the device is next connected to a computer.
The malware, which is also capable …

Messaging security developer Marshal is to launch content security software for PCs - but there are questions over how it will work for remote users, as it will require users to be online before they can get permission to copy or share new content.
Marshal's email processing software uses deep content inspection to protect …

Malware purveyors deliberately left USB sticks loaded with a Trojan in a London car park in a bid to trick users into getting infected.
The attack was designed to propagate Trojan banking software that swiped users' login credentials from compromised machines.
Check Point regional director Nick Lowe mentioned the ruse during …

Security researchers have discovered samples of adware posing as ActiveX controls that allow voyeurs to watch online smut.
The ploy used by ImageAccesActiveXObject represents a new tactic in the battle to infect users' PCs, according to anti-virus firm Panda Software. The malware infects Windows PCs when users visit hacker- …

The Sdbot and Gaobot malware families are responsible for most botnets worldwide. The two strains were responsible for 80 per cent of detections related to bots during the first quarter of 2007, Spanish anti-virus firm Panda Software reports.
Other culprits, although on a lesser scale, included Oscarbot, IRCbot or RXbot. The …